Locking device for automobiles.



A. OHURGHWARD.

LOCKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION [FILED JUNE 30, 1904.

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PATENTED PER 13, 1906.

To all whom it may concern;

' UNITED s'rAgns PATENT OFFICE.

' ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. LOCKING DEVECE-FOR AUTOMOBBL ESr no. sieves.

--Be it known that-I, ALEXANDER CHURCH- 'wnama citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locking Devices for Automobiles, of which Y the following is a specification.

-Myf invention relates to power-transmission mechanisms for automobiles, and refers particularly to transmission mechanisms em -ploying dynamo-electric machines performmg the'function of clutches with variable slip. Several transmission mechanisms have been-devised in which adynamo-electric Inachine is employed to transmit'the whole or a portion of the torque. Such a dynamo-elec- I tric'machine forms what'may be. called a variable-speed magnetic clutchthat is, a magnetic'clutoh having a variable slip between its two members. This slip generates a current in the machine which may be utilized to assist in driving the load by supply ing it to a second dynamo-electric machine connected mechanically to. the load, and the speed and torque of the'vehicle may be conveniently regulatedby controlling the circuits of the machines. -Where the transmission of the engine torque tothe drivingvi' heels depends upon a dynamo-electric ma chine, a breakdown of the windings or of the source of. current therefor makes it impossible to deliver any power from the engine to the driving-wheels. Such an action. consequently renders the automobile completely helpless, which is a great inconvenience if the breakdown occurs at some distahce from the nearest'repair-shop.

The object of y lnvention is to prevent acomplete disabling of a transmission mechsists in providing means. for mechanically locking the two members of the machine togetherin case of an emer ency. By this means the. operator is enable to take the vehicle home under its own power.

My invention will best be understood from the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows an automobile power-transmission mechanism provided with a locking device in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 shows diagrammatically the connections of the several parts of the mechanism,

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed June 30,1904. Serial No. 214, 19.

reduced torque.

Patented eb. 13,1906;

, ALEXANDER GHURCHWARD, or NEW YORK, N. Y., 'assienoa TO GENERAL 1 and Fig. 3 shows an enlarged view of the I I dynamo-electric machine to which inp' mechanism is ap lied.

n thedrawmgs the lock l have shown my inven tion as applied to a power-transmission mechanism of/the type described inPateritNo.

723,168,.issued to H. LempMarch 17, 1903.

In the drawings, E represents a prime mover, such as a ga s-en ine, carrying on its shaft the armature of the dynamo-electric machine M. The-shaft of engine E is conneoted by the sprocket-chain S to one memher I) of the differential gear.

A second member D is connected by sprocket-chain S. to the armature of a second dynamo-electric machine G. I The 'third member D of the dif ferentialVg eiar is connected to the drivingwheel. h this arrangement it will be seen that if the circuit of the dynamo-electric machine G is open and the the driving-wheel W will rehn'ain stationary, and the genera-tor G will be driven through the differential gear by the engine E. Now if the circuit of the generator G is closed a. current will be produced which will cause a torque to be exerted between the. armature .and field of the machine. In place of wasting in resistances the energy produced by generator Git maybe delivered to the motor M on the engine-shaft, which acts to add its torque to that of the engine. By varying the field stren th of generator G the amount of current, an consequently the torque, may be varied, thereby varying the speed nd torque of the driving-wheel W. As the field strength of generator G is increased the eecl of the armature relative thereto is decr' .sed. When the generator has its full fir id 'st" engih, the machine may be short-circuited and will act as a magnetic clutch, the armaizire slip ping the small amount nrcessary to the current for producing the required torque. The machine may again be reintroduced into circuit with its field reversed, and it will then act as a motor to drive member D of the differential gear in the opposite direction, the motor M acting as a generator and absorbing a portion of the engine torque to deliver to the machine G. In this manner the speed enerate engine is started Y of thevehicle is further increased,but with a Fig. 2, in which the generator (B -is shown with One set of connections for. accomplishing the above results are shown in a' separately-excited. field controlled by the rheostatic reversing-switch R. The machine M is shown as a shunt-motor.

The arrangement as thus far described isv completely disclosed Patent No. 723,168, above referred to, andhas been described 'her'e'merel for the purpose of giving aclear *understan ing of my invention.

It is obvious that ifthe generator G should wouldfbe disabled, since the generator G. wouldconsequently run freely without delivering any-torque tothe driving wheel. In case of such an emergenc I provide'the lockdevice L, which, as s own in Fig. 3, consists of a bolt extendingthrough the field frame or hearing and entering'the armature body or spider. The two parts are thus locked together and member D" of the difierential gear .h eld stationary. The engine torque may then be delivered directly to the driving-Wheel W, and although variation of the speed and torque cannot be obtained without cdntrollingthe engine speed it is possible to run the vehicle under its own power and in that manner to reachaplace where repairs canbe made.

My invention is not limited to the particular formof transmission mechanism shown, butis applicable to any transmission mech-- anism comprising a dynamo-electric machine arranged toact as a slipping clutch andto suppl-ying the current generated thereby to a second dynamo-electric machine for the purpose of varying the load.

. machine, and means for locking the fieldand Y 812 was What I claim as new, and desire to secure 0 by Letters Patent of the United States, is

v 4]. In an automobile, speed-changing powertransmitting mechanism comprising two dynamo-electric' machines electricall and mechanically connected, and means or looking the field and armature of one of said machines together.

' 2'. In an automobile, speed-changing powertransmi-tting mechanism comprisin two me-- chanically-connected dynamo-ele tric machines, one of said machines being arranged to actas'a shpping clutch and'to supply current generated .by said slipping to the second armature of the first machine together.

3. In an automobile, a prime mover, a diffeiential gear having one member connected to said prime mover and a second to the load, a dynamo-electric machine connectedto the third, member of said gear, and means for locking'the field and armature of said machine together.

3 4.; In an automobile, a prime mover, a differential ear having one member connected to said pr me mover and a second member to the. load, a dynamo-electric machine connected .to one of said members, a second dynamo-electricmachine cpnnected to the third member of said gear, and means for locking the field and armature of the latter machine 70 togethern witness whereof I have hereunto set my 1 hand this 29th day of June, 1904' A .ALEXANDEROHURCHWARD, W'it nesse's: i BENJAMIN B. HULL,

HELEN Onroan. 

